I....love....the ImpulseRC Alien. It's nearly indestructible, is easy to build with, and is probably the most widely owned (and cloned) frame in existence. Where I had trouble with the Alien was the amount of space on the top-plate for an HD camera and a 1500mAh pack (which is what I like to fly with). About the time that the Mr. Steele PDB came out, the Armattan Chameleon was hitting it's stride as a very popular freestyle frame. After the quality of life improvement that the Steele PDB made for KISS systems I knew I couldn't go back to anything else, but I really liked the camera cage on the Chameleon. I then saw a post on RCGroups of a guy who had taken the Alien and the Chameleon and smashed them together. I found out about the Chamalien Conversion kit from Armattan Productions and set to work building the hybrid ChamAlien. Only in the last few weeks have I converted this particular frame from KISS V1 FC to KISS V2, and from KISS 24A ESC's to KISS 32A ESC's. In fact, I did a comparison video between V1 and V2 hardware, which I'll link below.
So why this frame? I absolutely love the adjustable camera angle for the HD cam that comes on the Chameleon, along with the protection that is afforded to the FPV camera. What I don't like are single plate designs (tuning nightmares) and I also had to have the Steele PDB/OSD. So, this, for me at least, is a match made in heaven!
The component list below is what I currently have on this build. It's gone through a few motor changes and prop changes, but this is what I fly with now and I just love it!
Build/Overview video: Spot Reserved
Flight Video:
Comparison Video Kiss V1 to V2:
Part List
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It's possible to make the fusion with the cage of chamaleon ti ?
Ive been wanting to try Kiss. I was thinking of using existing parts from one of my current quads. What parts needs to be changed to KIss generally speaking. Of course the KISS FC but does the ESC also have to be KISS? Anything else that might need to be changed? Thanks man
It's perfectly fine to use non-KISS ESC's with the flight controller, but there are a few pitfalls to be aware of. You won't be able to flash the ESC's through the flight controller as you would if the FC was BF or as you would if the ESC's were KISS. You won't get the same telemetry information from the ESC's (voltage, current, temp, rpm, etc.) if the ESC's are not KISS. Another thing to be aware of is that none of the flyduino manufactured KISS boards have any type of OSD, so if you're used to that you will need to buy an additional component. You can try the iFlight KISS-licensed board, which does have an OSD chip, but I have no experience on it's reliability. The ideal thing would be the new TBS Unify EVO, but it's unclear if that has the ability to alter PIDs/Rates yet. You can go the Micro Minim OSD route, but they usually fail and are annoying to set up. If your frame has the room, you can put a Steel or Wolf PDB into it and you'll get Alex Wolf's KISS OSD, which is amazing. Anyway, feel free to look me up by this username on fpvchat.slack.com on the #kiss-talk channel for any other questions.
Guides & Reviews
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With the release of the DJI FPV Drone cinematic FPV has become a lot more accessible, but you certainly don't want to crash a $750 drone! The QAV-CINE Freybott is a compact, lightweight cinematic FPV drone that can take a hit and keep going. It's a lot safer to fly indoors and around people. With a naked GoPro or the SMO 4k you can capture some great stabilized footage. In this guide I'll show you..
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besides the conversion kit you listed, and the chamaleon cage parts, what else would I need?
If you buy the parts on my list you’ll have what you need.
ok. the pdb just sits on the arms?
The original style of Steele PDB does, yes. If you buy a newer Steele PDB it will likely be the redesigned one. ImpulseRC did a redesign where they made the board non-structural (meaning you don't screw into it for arm strength). If this is the case for you, they should also include a carbon fiber blank which the PDB will go on top of. Keep this in mind when you do your stack-height calculation. More details on the PDB can be found on the ImpulseRC website.